Best LXC Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from container engines ranked against LXC on the same published basis.
- 1LXC vs LXD
- 2LXC vs BuildKit
- 3LXC vs Docker Desktop
- 4LXC vs Incus
- 5LXC vs Apptainer
- 6LXC vs gVisor
- 7LXC vs Buildah
- 8LXC vs containerd
- 9LXC vs crun
- 10LXC vs Podman
- 11LXC vs Kata Containers
- 12LXC vs Moby
- 13LXC vs ocijail
- 14LXC vs runc
- 15LXC vs SingularityCE
- 16LXC vs Sysbox
- 17LXC vs youki
- 18LXC vs Apple container
- 19LXC vs balenaEngine
- 20LXC vs Charliecloud
LXC alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LXD | 7.7 | Free plan | $2.08/mo | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 2 | BuildKit | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 3 | Docker Desktop | 7.4 | Free plan | $9/mo | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Incus | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 5 | Apptainer | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 6 | gVisor | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 7 | Buildah | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted |
| 8 | containerd | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 9 | crun | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 10 | Podman | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 11 | Kata Containers | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 12 | Moby | 6.3 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 13 | ocijail | 6.1 | No | — | self-hosted |
| 14 | runc | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 15 | SingularityCE | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 16 | Sysbox | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 17 | youki | 5.9 | No | — | Linux |
| 18 | Apple container | 5.8 | No | — | Mac |
| 19 | balenaEngine | 5.8 | No | — | Linux |
| 20 | Charliecloud | 5.8 | No | — | Linux |
Make your platform an alternative to LXC
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled Sponsored.
Questions about LXC alternatives
What is the best alternative to LXC?
LXD, number 1 in container engines with a score of 7.7 out of 10. The others here: BuildKit, Docker Desktop, Incus and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to LXC?
LXD is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 11 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on.